A new era begins for the 49ers as Trey Lance is prepared to take the reins in the 2022 NFL season. The 2021 third-overall pick had limited playing time in his rookie year, but Kyle Shanahan decided not to wait any longer to promote him.

That leaves Jimmy Garoppolo in a tough spot. After so many years at the helm of San Francisco, Jimmy G's days as the starter are over. Consequently, many thought his time in the Bay would also come to an end.

However, Garoppolo has struggled to find a landing spot. Facing rehab from a shoulder surgery while most franchises were active on the market, now there are not many teams where Garoppolo could start. Therefore, the Niners would be ready to keep him.

49ers owner says team would be happy to keep Garoppolo

In an interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, 49ers owner Jed York shed some light on the quarterback's situation. York said San Francisco would be happy to keep Garoppolo, who may be complicated to ship at this point.

"I've said this before, you can't have enough good quarterbacks and good football players," York said. "I'm not going to get into roster discussions and what John (Lynch) and Kyle (Shanahan) want to do. But I will support them in sort of anything that they want to make this team as good as it can possibly be.

"I watched it with Joe (Montana) and Steve (Young), and I realize the salary cap is different today than having no salary cap. But we've said it before: We're happy to keep Jimmy. We're happy to have him on the roster. And if that's the case, then that's the case."

In other circumstances, keeping him as backup wouldn't be an option. For the team it wouldn't be the best idea considering the $26.95m cap hit he carries with him, while Garoppolo would have preferred to explore other options where he could start.

At this point, however, they don't seem to have many alternatives. Unless another team suddenly comes up with an offer, the best now seems to stay together. The Niners would have in him a reliable plan B, while for Garoppolo it means staying in a place he already knows inside and out.